The final grades are in for the Cowboys’ 2024 rookie class, and the report card is not one that will get taped up on the refrigerator.
Pro Football Focus has released its grades for the first-year contributors across all 32 teams, and the seven Cowboys who qualified for marks mostly underwhelmed. None did better than the middle of the pack when compared to their rookie positionmates leaguewide, and most actually placed near the bottom (or even dead last).
The learning curve is brutal for rookies, and limited gameday reps only make it harder. So the PFF folks have also listed snap counts for the rookies, allowing their grades to be viewed in a somewhat larger context. We’ve taken the liberty of also noting how those individual snap counts stack up against the Cowboys’ total offensive and defensive play counts for the season and where each rookie ranks comparative to others on the team.
It’s not a pretty picture for last year’s freshmen, with no one grading out above a 66. But here’s a breakdown of how the rookie Cowboys did.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
OC Cooper Beebe
Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) lines up behind center Cooper Beebe (56) for the snap during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
- Snaps played: 1,059 (90.44% of offensive snaps, 2nd on team)
- PFF grade: 65.4
- Position rank: 3rd out of 5
Only Terence Steele played more offensive snaps for the Cowboys in 2024 than Beebe. Impressive, considering the Kansas State product hadn’t played center until after the draft and some backyard practice with Mom. He was pulled early in Week 1’s garbage time against the Browns and missed more than half the Week 13 matchup with Cincinnati after suffering a concussion. Of the five rookie centers in the league this season, Beebe’s 65.4 grade was middle of the road, but it placed him 15th among all centers in the league.
WR Ryan Flournoy
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 22: Ryan Flournoy #80 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
- Snaps played: 157 (13.41% of offensive snaps, 7th among team WRs)
- PFF grade: 63.9
- Position rank: N/A
The sixth-round pick didn’t see the field until October and was used only sparingly the rest of the way, starting just once and getting more than 20 snaps in two games overall. His 157 snaps weren’t enough to qualify him for placement among the NFL’s other first-year receivers, but he performed admirably in limited action. Though Flournoy saw just 14 targets on the season, his 10 receptions gave him a 71.4% catch percentage, to lead all Cowboys WRs. PFF gave him a final grade of 63.9, technically putting him a fraction of a point higher than the likes of Rome Odunze, Cedrick Wilson, and Brandin Cooks.
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 24: Brevyn Spann-Ford #89 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during the second half against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
- Snaps played: 304 (25.96% of offensive snaps, 3rd among team TEs)
- PFF grade: 54.8
- Position rank: 4th out of 9
Of the 6-foot-7-incher’s 304 offensive snaps in 2024, the vast majority were as a blocker. He saw just 14 targets, but he caught nine of those balls for 88 yards and moved the chains six times. The Minnesota product appeared in every game of the season for the Cowboys and also was in on about a quarter of Dallas’s special teams snaps. His final grade of 54.8 put him almost even with Jake Ferguson.
OT Tyler Guyton
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) blocks at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
- Snaps played: 668 (57.05% of offensive snaps, 6th on team)
- PFF grade: 53.8
- Position rank: 10th out of 13
The first-rounder had a shaky start to his NFL career. He battled injury, led the entire team with 16 accepted penalties, and was even benched at one point for sloppy play. He sat out two complete games and saw fewer than 15 offensive snaps in three others. With Zack Martin potentially having played his last game as a Cowboy and an all-new offensive coaching staff, there could be some shuffling along the O-line. It will be interesting to see if Guyton remains at left tackle in 2025.
DE Marshawn Kneeland
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) runs for a short gain as guard Joel Bitonio (75) shoves Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (94) into him during the second half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Snaps played: 255 (23.10% of defensive snaps, 4th among team’s DEs)
- PFF grade: 50.7
- Position rank: 12th out of 14
Kneeland was off to a hot start until he tore his meniscus versus Pittsburgh in Week 5. That injury cost him five weeks, yet he still played almost 100 more defensive snaps than DeMarcus Lawrence, illustrating how thin the Cowboys were at the position overall in 2024. In his 11 game appearances, the second-round selection tallied nine tackles, two TFLs, three QB hits, a defended pass, and a fumble recovery. Still, he ranked near the bottom of all edge defenders in PFF’s grading system with a 50.7.
LB Marist Liufau
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Marist Liufau #35 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after a tackle against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
- Snaps played: 520 (47.10% of defensive snaps, 3rd among team’s LBs)
- PFF grade: 50.0
- Position rank: 10th out of 12
The third-round pick out of Notre Dame saw the field in every game this season and started nine times, but his usage increased dramatically down the home stretch as he logged more than 87% of the defensive snaps over the Cowboys’ final four games. He finished as the team’s seventh-leading tackler, even if his PFF grade ranked near the bottom for rookies at his position as well as all linebackers leaguewide. Like Kneeland, the arrow is still pointing up for Liufau moving forward.
CB Caelen Carson
Nov 10, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) catches a pass against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson (21) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
- Snaps played: 252 (22.83% of defensive snaps, 5th among team’s LBs)
- PFF grade: 39.6
- Position rank: 21st out of 21
A Week 3 shoulder injury kept Carson out of a four-game stretch in October. He returned to make just three more appearances before going on injured reserve to end his rookie campaign. The Wake Forest alum had a rough go of it in 2024, his 39.6 mark placing dead last among first-year corners in PFF’s gradebook and ranking near the bottom of the list for all cornerbacks across the NFL.
